Chicago Bears draft Boise State defensive end Shea McClellin

Friday

LAKE FOREST — The Chicago Bears watched as several players, even some high-profile defensive ends, slid down the draft board during Thursday’s first round of the NFL draft.

LAKE FOREST — The Chicago Bears watched as several players, even some high-profile defensive ends, slid down the draft board during Thursday’s first round of the NFL draft.

But then they moved down most experts’ board even further to select Shea McClellin, a 6-foot-3, 260-pound defensive end who played outside linebacker while at Boise State with the 19th overall pick. McClellin, who grew up on a wild-animal farm outside Caldwell, Idaho, was projected to be a late-first-round or early-second-round draft choice by most experts.

He went midway through the first to the Bears, becoming Phil Emery’s first pick as a general manager.

“In terms of his natural ability, he showed us things that the other ends did not show us,” Emery said. “This young man, and his athletic ability, and his very high level of natural football instincts, gives us that versatility. ... This is a very natural football player.”

No defensive ends were selected with the first 15 picks in the draft, opening the door for the Bears to look at the spot most believed they were focused on. One of the defensive ends that was reportedly on their radar (North Carolina’s Quinton Coples) went to the Jets three picks before Chicago and another (South Carolina’s Melvin Ingram) went to San Diego the pick before.

But, according to Emery, that didn’t matter to the Bears.

“We felt (McClellin) was one of the better ones. We felt his pass-rush ability was very high, and our fit was very good for him,” Emery said. “This was a very good fit for the Bears as we are moving forward.”

McClellin played sparingly his freshman year before starting his last three seasons — and every game the past two — at Mike-backer for Boise State. He was an outside linebacker who moved up to the line on passing downs, and he had 130 tackles to go along with 20½ sacks and 33 tackles for loss while starting 38 of 49 games for the Broncos.

Now he’s going to the next level, and he’s about to join a group of defenders he knows a whole lot about.

“It’s awesome; it’s unbelievable. To play alongside guys like Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher, it’s just really going to be great,” McClellin said in a telephone interview. “My versatility definitely helped me out. I’m able to play multiple positions, and I think I can be the player they need me to be.
“I think I can get after the quarterback.”

As Emery’s first-ever pick, he had better.

Trades were the round 1 theme early on as three swaps were made before the first seven picks to set an NFL record. But the Bears didn’t budge, and according to Emery, it was never an issue.

“There were a lot of people trading; lots of people trying to roll back. ... We took several calls from people behind us wanting to come up, too,” Emery said. “But we’re very excited to have Shea (McClellin) become a Chicago Bear. He’s going to fill a need for us as a pass rusher, and we’re also very excited about Shea in terms of his all-downs ability. This is an all-down’s player.”

The other NFC North teams appeared to get what they wanted as well. Minnesota traded down one spot from its No. 3 position, and still got offensive lineman Matt Kalil of USC. That was who the Vikings had targeted all along, according to most reports.

The Detroit Lions selected offensive lineman Riley Reiff — one of several players to slide down the board toward the Bears — at 23rd overall, and the Packers went with a defensive end like the Bears, selecting Nick Perry of USC with their 28th pick. All of the teams will return to business when the second and third rounds of the draft kick off at 6 p.m. today.

Bears reporter Jay Taft can be reached at 815-987-1384 or jtaft@rrstar.com.

Chicago Bears’ round 1 pick

Who: Shea McClellin

Birthdate: Aug. 1, 1989

Hometown: Caldwell, Idaho

Ht./wt., position: 6-foot-3, 258-pound defensive end/linebacker

College stats: 130 tackles, 20½ sacks, 33 tackles for loss while starting 38 of 49 games at Boise State.

What Emery had to say: “If there was one area that stands out for me as an evaluator, in evaluating Shea, in myself and our coaches and our scouts, is that we all came away from looking at him with that high level of football instincts.”

What McClellin had to say: “I thought I might get a chance to go somewhere like Chicago. .. Now, I have to make it pay off.”

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.